A lithographic process is one that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. During the lithographic process, the focus needs to be controlled. There is disclosed a method for determining a fingerprint of a performance parameter associated with a substrate, such as a focus value to be used during the lithographic process. A reference fingerprint of the performance parameter is determined for a reference substrate. A reference substrate parameter of the reference substrate is determined. A substrate parameter for a substrate, such as a substrate with product structures, is determined. Subsequently, the fingerprint of the performance parameter is determined based on the reference fingerprint, reference substrate parameter and the substrate parameter. The fingerprint may then be used to control the lithographic process.

A method of configuring a step of scanning a beam of photons or particles across a patterning device for exposing a pattern onto a substrate, wherein the method includes determining a spatial resolution of a patterning correction configured to improve quality of the exposing, and determining a spatial dimension of the beam based on the determined spatial resolution of the patterning correction.

An optical arrangement of an imaging device for microlithography, particularly for using light in the extreme UV range, includes an optical element and a holding device for holding the optical element. The optical element includes an optical surface and defines a plane of main extension, in which the optical element defines a radial direction and a circumferential direction. The holding device includes a base element and more than three separate holding units. The holding units are connected to the base element and arranged in a manner distributed along the circumferential direction and spaced apart from one another. The holding units hold the optical element with respect to the base element. Each of the holding units establishes a clamping connection between the optical element and the base element. The clamping connection for each holding unit is separate from the clamping connections of the other holding units.

A method of predicting thermally induced aberrations of a projection system for projecting a radiation beam, the method comprising: calculating a change in temperature of the projection system from a power of the radiation beam output from the projection system using a dynamic linear function; and calculating the thermally induced aberrations from the calculated change in temperature using a static non-linear function.

The alignment apparatus performs alignment of an object in a first direction along a surface of the object, based on a position of a predetermined target formed on the surface, and includes a holding unit that holds the object to be moved, an acquisition unit that acquires an image of the predetermined target formed on the surface of the object held by the holding unit, and a controller that drives the holding unit to realize a relative distance between the object and the acquisition unit in a second direction perpendicular to the surface of the object, a relative tilt between the object and the acquisition unit, or the distance and the tilt, the distance and the tilt being determined based on a correlation degree between the image acquired by the acquisition unit and a template, and detects a position of the predetermined target in the first direction based on the correlation degree.

A method for controlling a lithographic apparatus configured to pattern an exposure field on a substrate including at least a sub-field, the method including: obtaining an initial spatial profile associated with a spatial variation of a performance parameter associated with a layer on the substrate across at least the sub-field of the exposure field; and decomposing the initial spatial profile into at least a first component spatial profile for controlling a lithographic apparatus at a first spatial scale and a second component spatial profile for controlling the lithographic apparatus at a second spatial scale associated with a size of the sub-field, wherein the decomposing includes co-optimizing the first and second component spatial profiles based on correcting the spatial variation of the performance parameter across the sub-field.

A method for calculating a spatial map associated with a component, the spatial map indicating spatial variations of thermal expansion parameters in the component, the method comprising: providing or determining a temperature distribution in the component as a function of time; calculating the spatial map associated with the component using the provided or determined temperature distribution in the component and optical measurements of a radiation beam that has interacted directly or indirectly with the component, the optical measurements being time synchronized with the provided or determined temperature distribution in the component.

An immersion lithographic apparatus having a fluid handling structure, the fluid handling structure configured to confine immersion fluid to a region and including: a meniscus controlling feature having an extractor exit on a surface of the fluid handling structure; and a gas knife system outwards of the extractor exit and including passages each having an exit, the passages having a plurality of first passages having a plurality of corresponding first exits on the surface, and a plurality of second passages having a plurality of corresponding second exits outwards of the first exits on the surface, wherein the surface faces and is substantially parallel to a top surface of a substrate during exposure, and the first exits and the second exits are arranged at a greater distance from the substrate than the extractor exit.

An actuator device for aligning an element includes at least one first actuator unit, which is secured to a support structure, for a first setting range and a second actuator unit, which is able to be secured to the element, for a second setting range. The second actuator unit is connected to an output element of the first actuator unit so that the positioning of the second actuator unit is adjustable by an adjustment of the output element. The first actuator unit has an adjusting element and a fixing element, which is able to be secured to the support structure. The fixing element secures the output element in a force-locking manner in an operating state of the element. The fixing element is furthermore configured to release the force-locking connection in a setting state of the element to enable an adjustment of the output element via the adjusting element.

An apparatus is disclosed for performing an additive manufacturing operation to form a structure by processing a photopolymer resist material. The apparatus may incorporate a laser for generating a laser beam, and a tunable mask for receiving the laser beam which has an optically dispersive element. The mask splits the laser beam into a plurality of emergent beams each having a subplurality of beamlets of varying or identical intensity, with each beamlet emerging from a unique subsection of illuminated regions of the mask. A collimator collimates at least one of the emergent beams to form a collimated beam. One or more focusing elements focuses the collimated beam into a focused beam which is projected as a focused image plane on or within the resist material. The focused beam simultaneously illuminates a layer of the resist material to process an entire layer in a parallel fashion.